Lawyers

Honors English 11
May 12, 2012
In other commonwealth countries, attorneys can be defined as barristers and solicitors. Barristers debate in court and solicitors provide legal services outside a courtroom. However, in the United States, “a lawyer is a person who has a law degree and a license to practice law. The word lawyer means different things in different countries” (Thompson, Lisa 6). Law is an incredibly rewarding career because of the nature of the work, education that a person receives, the vast opportunities for advancement, miraculous employment outlook, and abundant salary. The history of law is rather intriguing. “The legal profession in early modern Europe was regulated and the nature of the various interests, from the state of the judges and societies of lawyers, who sought to limit the size of the practising bar and also the lower branch of the legal profession” (“Lawyers and the Early Modern State: Regulation, Exclusion, and Numerous Clauses”). Centuries ago, lawyers did not exist which left the legal system to stand alone. “Over the millennia, civilizations have developed many ways to bring order to one’s life, but two have had a profound and lasting impact on the Western World. It is these two, ancient Greek and ancient Rome, that explored these issues” (“Judging RIGHT and WRONG IN Athens). Similar to our government now, previous civilizations would eliminate any defective or incompetent laws in which they will pass another. “Among the ancient Greeks, the Athenians especially loved litigation. There was no police department, but any matter was cause to bring suit against a fellow Athenian. This was true regardless of how petty a matter might be” (“Judging RIGHT and WRONG IN Athens”). Today’s field of law did not exist in ancient times which resulted in one defending oneself, but had the option to acquire a speechwriter to write out his or her defending case to display in the trial” (“Judging RIGHT and WRONG IN Athens”). The nature of the work of a lawyer consists of numerous responsibilities and obligations.
According to Law Crossing, “a corporate attorney provides counsel, write documents, and conduct negotiations on legal matters, and represent clients in court. Commercial law attorneys counsel clients regarding all matters. They protect the rights of their clients, whether local, domestic, or international in origin or impact” (http://www.lawcrossing.com/video/5357/Corporate-Attorney-Jobs). Majority of a lawyer’s work includes researching previous law interpretations and also the record of judicial conclusions based on that specific law which is used to assist with their cases on trial days. Lawyers also use public documents, Internet web sites, and law libraries as supporting resources for their research. Besides the research, it requires much work to become a successful lawyer when it comes to the nature of the work such as the following: * “ability to identify the core issue, analyze, and solve complex problems * capacity to think through large amounts of written information * critical thinking skills * good communication skills * ability to handle confidential information privately * organization and planning skills * professional attitude * strong reading and research skills * ability to work in a professional and ethical manner * ability to work both independently and in a team * capacity to work in a practical and orderly manner” (Thompson, Lisa 7).
Lawyers who possess of these traits may specialize in a variety of fields for instance: international, elder, bankruptcy, environmental law, and probate. “Most lawyers are in private place, concentrating on criminal or civil law. Other lawyers handle only public-interest cases, civil or criminal, concentrating on particular causes and choosing cases that might have an impact on the way law is applied” (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos053.htm),